But wasn't he called "Lil' Evil" long before Lilith ever showed up? Sounds to me like a happy coincidence, rather than a long-term design on Tat's part.

I never said it was a long-term thing Tat was planning. I don't think anything regarding Li'l E's origins was planned. The reason behind his name, his parentage... anything. It's just that, in hindsight, there are a lot of coincidences in hindsight that make it seem like it could have been. Although his parentage was never something Tat was keeping in mind when he named Li'l E; now that his origins are something that is being explored in canon, it will effect the way we view him as a character and past strips involving him. It will also effect the way we view his name.

His name wasn't intended to be a portmanteau of the names of two characters that weren't established as being related to him in any way, let alone his parents, but now that we know who his parents are and what they're named, it now fits under that category._________________Character Chart | Terminology Dictionary | Flashback Strips